


Run, Boy, Run

by PrettyBoyKiller



Category: TXT (Korea Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: I don't even know how to describe this without having a mental breakdown, I watched anime and youtube fed me a related parkour compilation and this just... Happened, POV Kim Seokjin | Jin, Parkour, Prince of Stride AU, That's why I fucking hate the internet I guess, This AU was supposed to be fun and now it feels like I wrote it while having a fever dream, freerunning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-17
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-15 10:10:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18496777
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PrettyBoyKiller/pseuds/PrettyBoyKiller
Summary: "We're BTS," Namjoon says aloud, grinning wide and confident – not arrogant, never arrogant – as the hosts announce for their teams to convene at the starting line in preparation for the race. "We don't generally make a habit of losing, since we like to win.""Everyone likes to win," Soobin returns, his voice surprisingly even despite his earlier nerves. Seokjin lifts an eyebrow approvingly; this one's the type to perform well even under pressure, isn't he? How troublesome. "We've worked hard, too. We're going to do our best."





	Run, Boy, Run

**Author's Note:**

> **READ THIS NOTE, PLEASE READ THIS WHOLEASS NOTE, IT GIVES YOU CONTEXT AND IT'S IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ THESE NOTES**
> 
>  
> 
> Sorry for being all aggresso. So basically, all you need to know about Prince of Stride is that it's an anime set in a futuristic universe where parkour/free-running is a registered sport. There's an association and competitions and official relay matches for this shit and everything.
> 
> Basically, each team that registers has to have 6 members, 5 of which are Runners that actually take part in a relay race situated across an urban obstacle course— A city, basically. It is compulsory for Runners to high-five the next Runner, symbolizing a pass of the baton. The 6th member is known as the Relationer, whose job is to guide their Runners through the course in the least amount of time. Teams also usually have a manager.
> 
> In this particular AU, BTS is a team managed by Kim Namjoon. He's a former Stride heavyweight, but he's retired due to an unfortunate knee injury. He is the official handler of BTS and he deals with all business-related matters; he signs the team up for matches, manages their sponsorships, ensures everyone gets paid and shit like that. He's an alumni of SNU because he skipped a couple of years in high school and graduated university early as valedictorian.
> 
> Kim Seokjin is the team's Relationer who doubles as the team's personal trainer off season. His style of communicating with the members is unique; he's astute, and he tailors the way he gives instructions to each Runner. He also researches the competition grounds to best determine the running order and which routes are the best for the members.
> 
> Min Yoongi is the most experienced out of all the active players; that's why he's the leader of the Runners. He specializes in arenas where there are a ton of obstacles, because he's small, quick and nimble despite his sluggish demeanor outside of Stride. Renowned as the Black Cat, he's notorious for his mastery of vaults, long cat leaps and precision jumps. He is a professional Stride Runner and an alumni of SNU.
> 
> Jung Hoseok; AKA HOBI. He's good at long flats and downward slopes. Since he's highly flexible and he has a good center of gravity, he sprints extremely well and often takes mid to high routes, making long precision jumps to get ahead of the opponents (he has an intense fear of heights outside of Stride that doesn't seem to apply to him during official matches). He is a senior at SNU.
> 
> In the middle of the race, there's Park Jimin and Kim Taehyung; their positions are interchangeable, depending on the cityscape officiated by the Stride Association. Jimin has high stamina, and he's best known for his muscle-ups and wall passes. Taehyung stamina isn't as great and he moves in sharp bursts of speed, so he usually uses his part in the relay to get ahead as far as possible.
> 
> They are childhood best friends and a notorious pair in the Stride circuit; they're known collectively as the Distance Bingers, because they're always greedy to secure a clean and indisputable lead mid-relay. They are both sophomores at SNU.
> 
> Last but not least, there's Jeon Jungkook; the Golden Boy. He's an all-rounder; even though he has the leas experience, he's been doing all sorts of sports growing up. He's got great sense for Stride, and is an up-and-coming Runner scouted by Namjoon himself. He's flashy and earnest, and he loves being the Anchor of the team (last Runner). He is a freshman at SNU.
> 
> \---
> 
> If you'd like to react to this on Twitter, please livetweet using the hashtag #RBRfic. If you're not gonna, I'd really, REALLY appreciate it if you dropped a comment to let me know what you think of the story; I'll explain more about how all of this just... Happened, in the ending notes. Thanks!
> 
> [Follow me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/PBK_twt)

"Welcome, one and all, to the finals of the 9th annual Stride Competition hosted by SNU!" Someone enthusiastically calls out over the speakers, making Seokjin grimace and clap his hands over his ears. "Please join us as we await the opening address. Today, BTS – who is fully comprised of both students and alumni of SNU – will be facing the dark horse rookie group that's unexpectedly risen to the top—"

"So fucking loud," Yoongi complains to Seokjin's left, scowling as he rolls his shoulders. His hair's hanging in his eyes even though he's got a bandana on— Seokjin told him he should've at least gotten his fringe trimmed for the finals, but the stubborn old man had refused to budge. "This isn't even major league; what's all the shitty fuss for?"

"It's still one of the hugest tournaments in the country," Hoseok chirps, stretching in preparation with a groan of exertion. "The final match is televised— MBC Sports+, SBS Sports, KBS World... You name it."

"The introductions are pretty much non-existent till we get to the semis," Jungkook pipes up cheerfully, listening to TXT's opening spiel over the system. He's not even startled when Taehyung swings an arm around his shoulders, clinging on like a monkey. "Isn't it fun to hear it? They add in so much detail."

Seokjin opens his mouth, but he doesn't even have to say the words before it's happening.

"— BTS is managed by SNU alumni and valedictorian, class of 2018, Kim Namjoon! He is a former Runner and back up Relationer," the host continues with high energy. Jimin 'ooh's and 'ahh's are well-placed and sarcastically exaggerated, making Namjoon sigh with exasperation as he leans on his cane. "Due to an unfortunate accident in the semi-finals of his last official race in 2016, he sustained a severe leg injury that ended his career in the extreme sport. However, he continues to mentor, coach and offer his services to the Stride community in other ways—"

"And there it is," Hoseok sings flatly, patting Namjoon on the shoulder with sympathy as Jungkook gapes at the spectators' stand in blatant disbelief. "The history lesson, the slap in the face…"

"Ouch," Taehyung winces, tightening his shoelaces as Jimin pouts up at the platform the hosts are standing on. "That's really harsh, hyung…"

"Wish I could say I'm surprised but I'm fucking not— Just disappointed," Yoongi snorts derisively, squinting down at the label of a power bar before he unwraps it with a shrug. "These part-timer shithead hosts, Donny? Donald? Connie? Whatever." Shoving the snack into his mouth, the Runner sinks into the nearest chair under the shade of their tent. "SNU brings them back every goddamn year, and they'd sooner learn to tap dance than employ an ounce of fucking tact— They treat rookie Stride teams like shit, too."

"Everyone loves a tragic backstory, Jungkook," Seokjin hums gently, side-eyeing Namjoon and making sure the younger is actually okay. When he gets an eyeroll and a flippant thumbs up from their manager, he knows that there's nothing to worry about. "You don't know this since this is your first official tournament with us, but the hosts do this every year since Joon's topped out of Stride as a Runner."

Turning red, Jungkook stares at Namjoon with remorse in his doe eyes. "Hyung, I didn't mean—"

"No, nope— None of that." Making a face, the elder shakes his head and pats Jungkook on the head. "It's in the past and I'm in a new chapter of my life," Namjoon adds firmly, his cheeks dimpling as he triple-checks the straps on their freshman's gloves. "Besides, rather than people treating me like I'm fragile, I'd actually prefer this sort of dumb callousness about the whole thing."

Jungkook looks at Namjoon with stars in his eyes, mouth wobbly with a relieved smile. He's so sickeningly obvious about his hero worship towards their resident manager; Seokjin hates that he adores it so much.

"Guys, it's 2:30," Jimin pipes up, ignoring the way the hosts are introducing him and Taehyung as a unit over the speakers. Despite the frankly obnoxious commentary from the hosts – Dony and Cony, he's told Yoongi so many times – Seokjin finds himself smiling; the pair are inseparable in their legend as always. "There isn't much time left before the opening address. Should we go introduce ourselves to the other team, or—"

"Um, excuse me?"

Simultaneously, all of their heads whip towards the unfamiliar voice behind them. There's a neat line of five boys facing them, all of them wide-eyed and bushy-tailed as they shift on their feet. Two people hover several feet behind them, both engaged with their phones.

"H-Hi," the speaker swallows thickly, probably unnerved by their eerie coordination. Seokjin still finds himself feeling that way, sometimes. "My name is Choi Soobin, and I'm the lead Runner of TXT— This is Choi Yeonjun, Choi Beomgyu, Kang Taehyun and Huening Kai," he adds, gesturing to the boys next to him accordingly. "We're the Runners competing against you in the finals later."

No one moves save for Hoseok. "Oh no," he coos, giving Yoongi a tight squeeze. The elder just lets him, having learnt that to resist hugs from anyone in their team is A) very tiring and B) categorically futile. "You're all so cute! Jin-hyung told us, but still…"

As usual, Namjoon steps up to take the reins where it counts. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Soobin, and all of your members," he greets them kindly, beckoning Seokjin over. "Yeongsan International School, right? Our Relationer's told us all about you. Despite being much younger, you've all proven you're very gifted in Stride… We better watch our backs."

"Nff-No!" Soobin messes up, glaring at one of his members when they snicker at him before he turns to look at Namjoon again. "No, really, we just— We were very lucky in all of our matches," he admits at length, sheepish and shy. "Every team we faced was very strong. We're still new to Stride compared to all of them – and you, of course – so it's a little overwhelming to have even qualified, let alone make it to the finals…"

Inclining his head with a small smile, Seokjin gives Soobin a subtle onceover while he rambles. As the leader, he typically takes the first lap. That pits him against Yoongi… Unless they've changed their running order, of course. "I'm Kim Seokjin, BTS' Relationer," he introduces himself politely, extending a hand. The younger goes a little red, taking it with an awed expression on his face. "I look forward to a passionate match with all of you."

"Are you going to be the Anchor for this match again?" Jungkook says to one of the members, who blinks at him with alarm. "You're Huening Kai, right? Jin-hyung sent me the recording of your lap in the semis— That underbar right before you left the takeover zone was awesome!"

"That— I—" Panicking, Kai lets out a little noise as Jungkook grabs his hand, shaking it hard. "S-Soobin-hyung, he just told me to—"

"Let's have a great match!"

"Kook, we don't know what their running order is," Jimin points out, peering over Taehyung's shoulder with his lips pursed in thought. This is the first time they're meeting TXT face to face, since neither of their teams have had the pleasure of competing in the same bracket. "You shouldn't ask the competition about their positions—"

"I'M! Yes!" Kai blurts, nodding furiously at Jungkook. "Anchor! I'm running last, like you always do! I'm the Anchor!"

"Kai!" One of the other members hiss, eyes narrowed with alarm. Beomgyu, a slope specialist; he's stupidly good on corners, too. Seokjin has an eye on him. "We're not supposed to tell them that—

"Nice!" Jungkook beams, lifting up a fist. "I'm not going to lose to you, though!"

"I'm not going to lose either," Kai replies, even as his members wrestle him back into the line. "I won't lose— Hyung! Stop it, I got I already— Yeonjun-hyung! Don't pull my shirt—"

"Then stop struggling and just get back in line—"

"I will! I will— Taehyun-hyung, help—"

"You're on your own, Kai—"

Palming his face tiredly, Seokjin sighs. 'God,' he thinks, realizing their running order's already been partially leaked, 'they're so careless when they're rookies…'

"Who gives a shit about stuff like that anyway?" Yoongi drawls in the background, the quiet slur of his words almost completely blocked out by Hoseok's incessant laughter. "Things like strategy and running orders and routes," he scoffs, stepping up and smacking Seokjin hard with his hand between the elder's shoulders. "We won't lose, since we've got hyung as our Relationer."

And okay, that's touching at all, but Seokjin's back is stinging. He levels Yoongi with an annoyed glare, getting a cocky 'I did what I did, and what about it?' smirk in return.

"Yoongi-hyung is right in one thing; when you've come this far to face us, I don't think there's any point in withholding something as trivial as our running order to you," Namjoon adds with a chuckle, leaning on his cane as he regards Soobin with interest.

Seokjin looks at Namjoon, curious.

"Our strongest Runners will simply do what they have always done— Their best," Namjoon tells the leader of their opposing team with sharp, gleaming eyes. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Soobin?"

Jungkook's hand goes slack, and he steps back towards the group. Yoongi sticks his hands in his pocket, sidling up to Seokjin as Hoseok waves at TXT from over his shoulder, ever bright and cheerful. Jimin yawns, throwing himself against Taehyung as they bracket Namjoon. They aren't in a neat line like TXT, but that's okay; being all neat and orderly and prim – even just on the surface – isn't really their style.

They're BTS. They're loud and chaotic and weird, but they've always been good at putting their money where their mouth is.

'We're BTS,' Seokjin thinks, confidence surging through his veins as he remembers how much time and effort he's put into Stride— How much he's really invested in it, in his role as a Relationer.

He remembers watching Jimin work himself to the bone, watching Taehyung run the same course they lost in an official match a hundred times over. He remembers watching Yoongi fall, remembers keeping his secret when the younger pleads till Hoseok notices – because of course Hoseok notices – and yanks Yoongi, hollering and all, to his family friend's physiotherapy clinic for a full check up, the works. He remembers his own late nights, watching and re-watching official race recordings till he felt dizzy or passed out into a fitful sleep. He remembers Namjoon.

God, he remembers Namjoon's accident with cruelly painful clarity. It's half the reason why Seokjin even stepped up to become BTS' Relationer— He never wants something like that to happen to his friends again.

And it won't— Not on his watch.

"We're BTS," Namjoon says aloud, grinning wide and confident – not arrogant, never arrogant – as the hosts announce for their teams to convene at the starting line in preparation for the race. "We don't generally make a habit of losing, since we like to win."

"Everyone likes to win," Soobin returns, his voice surprisingly even despite his earlier nerves. Seokjin lifts an eyebrow approvingly; this one's the type to perform well even under pressure, isn't he? How troublesome. "We've worked hard, too. We're going to do our best."

Shrewdly and respectfully, Namjoon nods and turns to make his way to the starting line, all of their members following suit. "The dark horse versus the reigning champions— It'll be interesting, if nothing else," he calls over his shoulder in parting, giving their opponents a well-meaning wave. "Win or lose, we'll see you on the other side, TXT. Good luck."

 

 

 

 

They're minutes away from the start of the race when Jimin rolls his shoulders, glancing at their opponents as they cluster together in a circle. "I feel sorry for them," he says, cocking his head at Taehyung. "It's super obvious, isn't it? Did you notice it?"

"You kidding me? Course I did, I ain't blind," Taehyung huffs, his mouth twisting in a funny shape. "It's a pity, for real. The Runners seem really great; they all so sweet, too."

"Hmm?" Jungkook hums distractedly, in the middle of poring over Seokjin's tablet to review his route one more time. "TXT? I like them, what wrong with them?"

"Fucking hell, rookie," Yoongi rumbles off the side, swigging from a bottle of water that's not— Yeah, that's definitely Jimin's. Of course, knowing that it isn't his won't stop the Runner, so Seokjin doesn't even bother. "Was I this fucking dumb as a freshman or are we just unlucky to be saddled with Kook?"

"Hey!" Jungkook huffs, mock wounded.

"You were worse, but that's mostly because of your attitude," Seokjin reminds Yoongi sweetly, primly putting an arm around Jungkook's shoulder as the younger sticks his tongue out at his hyung in petty retaliation.

Ever the mature one, Yoongi sticks out his tongue right back. Seokjin briefly wonders if his title as second-oldest hyung needs to be revoked.

"When meeting the competition, you could stand to be a little more observant and aware of yourself," Namjoon tells Jungkook with a laugh, making the younger blush. As always, their manager has a way with words; when he's speaking, he's always so calculated and eloquent that it never sounds aggressive or patronizing, even if he's giving someone as prideful as their youngest a scolding or advice. "We met with all the Runners, didn't we?"

"Yeah," Jungkook nods earnestly, taking the bottle Yoongi passes to him – Jimin's bottle – and taking a sip. God, Seokjin's going to have to print labels for all of these idiots, isn't he? Huge labels, probably in neon colors. He's already wondering how much one of those little labellers will eat into his paycheck at the end of the month, ugh. "Kai was cool, I liked him."

"They were all nice and everything, but what about their manager, or their Relationer?" Taehyung chimes in, watching Jungkook's brows furrow. "They didn't even introduce themselves— Their leader didn't even look at them once."

"I had my suspicions, but actually meeting them confirmed one thing— TXT's Relationer is probably a paid stand in," Seokjin shares with the team, looking over Namjoon's shoulder. On the other end of the platform, the TXT Runners are clustered into a circle, while their Relationer and manager are off the side chatting to each other. "It's common enough, and their manager is a junior faculty member at Yeongsan International… A literature teacher, to be precise. I don't think she gets involved with the team very much."

"Their Stride team was just formed late last year, and they've only been in a couple of official matches with lesser-known teams since they started," Yoongi continues, sounding bored as he sits on the ground, legs extended. Taking his cue, Hoseok shuffles over and places his hands on the elder's shoulders, helping him to stretch. "You're new to Stride so you don't really get it, Kook— How much of a difference it makes to have a solid manager who knows his asshole from his elbow, and a good Relationer."

Seeing as Yoongi doesn't punctuate his compliment with a slap this time, Seokjin takes an agreeable bow. "Such high praise from the legendary Black Cat of BTS humbles me," he says, smirking when the younger hisses at him. He can hate the moniker all he likes; the rest of them eat it up on his behalf because it's so fucking accurate. "I aim to please."

"You'll aim to fucking breathe once I'm done here, you arrogant piece of— OW?" Yoongi cuts himself off sharply, glaring at Hoseok behind him. "Will you— FUCKING OW! Are you trying to snap my fucking spine!?"

"Don't be such a baby; we've all seen you fold yourself clean in half at the training center," Hoseok sings, forcing Yoongi back down despite the elder's muffled whines. "C'mon, lil meow, let's do toe touchies~"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP WITH THAT 'LIL MEOW' BULLSHIT, YOU HACK SPRINTER—"

"H-Hack sprinter!? Isn't that too mean!?"

"Jin-hyung," Namjoon calls out, gesturing up towards the Relationer's room. "We should get going before the last call."

Right. "Remember to mute your line with me once you've completed your leg of the race," Seokjin reminds everyone, lifting an eyebrow at Taehyung in particular. Knowingly, the younger shifts on his feet and ducks behind Jimin. "The cheering is sweet, but I'd appreciate it if you stayed as quiet as possible when it isn't your turn— I can't exactly give out commands over someone shrieking like the last time."

"It was one time!" Taehyung protests.

"No, it wasn't," Jungkook snorts, right before he has to hold Taehyung at shoulder-length to avoid the weak blows that come at him for the betrayal.

"The car will pick up the first four Runners from their respective positions after they're done with their run to bring you back to the stadium," Namjoon adds, clapping a hand on both Yoongi's and Hoseok's shoulders. He separates them with little effort, ignoring the glare he gets from the elder for it. "Jin-hyung and I will relay your location to the driver, so stay put— You should be back before Kook reaches the finish line."

The Stride circuits always come full circle at the tournaments hosted by SNU— Their starting line is also their finishing line. Seokjin glances towards the Relationer room, taking in a deep breath as he heads off.

"Hyung?" Jimin blinks up at him, stepping in his way. "Where're you going? We haven't done the thing."

"The thing!" Taehyung warbles, hooking his arm through Hoseok's as the elder beams at him. "Let's do the thing!"

Ah, yes; the thing. Seokjin gives Jimin a small smile and nods, allowing the younger to guide him back to the group as Namjoon corrals everyone into a circle. Even Yoongi comes willingly, despite complaining about Jungkook being sweaty when the freshman throws an arm around his shoulders to really get close.

Namjoon takes a beat to look at all of them before he leans in, letting Seokjin's hand on his back stabilize him as he momentarily abandons leaning his weight on his cane. "Alright boys," he starts, his cheeks dimpling. "This is it; Hoseok's last official match in SNU as a senior, and Jungkook's first as a freshman."

Slapping his hand on the back of Hoseok's neck to encourage him, Taehyung roars with laughter as the senior chokes on his own spit with surprise.

"We've worked hard, and we'll continue working hard; all the time you've spent practicing and agonizing over your own skills will never let you down," Namjoon adds, dipping his head and grinning when the rest of the members follow suit. "And remember— Teamwork?"

"MAKES THE DREAM WORK!" Everyone barks sharply on cue, startling the nearby camera crew and even TXT, who are on the other end of the raised platform.

"That's right." Straightening up, Namjoon's grin eases into something approaching predatory as he puts a hand between Seokjin's shoulders, guiding him off the platform and towards the underpass leading into the Relationer's room beneath the stands. "As always, there isn't need to say much more than that— I believe in you."

"Yeah, fuck it, whatever," Yoongi scoffs derisively at Namjoon's back, grabbing Jungkook by his collar and shoving a water bottle – Hoseok's, that's definitely Hoseok's – into the kid's chest. "We believe in you and Jin-hyung too, I guess. Ish. On a good day."

Rolling his eyes at Yoongi's dismissive parting words – he means every word, they know he does – Seokjin exchanges a fond, exasperated look with Namjoon.

Then it's crunch time.

 

 

 

 

The opening address and ceremony go by in a flash. Seokjin barely hears any of it, poring over his equipment in the Relationer's room and testing his audio connection with their members and their attached drone cams. Namjoon stands behind him, half tuned into whatever's happening in the stadium and running last minute drop off checks with their driver outside the stadium.

TXT's Relationer hasn't said a word since coming in, and he's alone on the other side of the glass panel that's raised slightly above Seokjin's head— It doesn't completely cancel out their opponent's commands, but then again, it probably isn't supposed to. Their manager hadn't even deemed it necessary to join them in the room, and the guy's been eyeing the ceremony with blatant impatience.

Seokjin doesn't bother greeting their opponent the way he usually would— Somehow, he feels like it'd be a waste of time. "Last mic test," he calls down the line, settling into his chair as Namjoon stands behind him for a clear view of all their screens. "Yoongi?"

"Yeah."

"Hoseok?"

"I'm here, hyung!"

"Tae?"

"Loud and clear, Jin-hyung!"

"Jimin?"

"I hear you!"

"And our golden boy?"

"I'm here," Jungkook blurts, sounding kind of antsy. Seokjin frowns up at Namjoon, who's in the middle of switching his audio from the stadium feed to their team's channel. "I'm here, wow, this is so cool, everyone's so amped up and— Hyung, can you hear the crowd? Everyone's screaming all loud and stuff, it's really— I don't know, it's so cool, it's really cool—"

"Jungkook?" Namjoon says, and just like that, their youngest lets out a little squawk before falling silent. "Hey, buddy. You feeling a little nervous there?"

"Nervous? No, not me, never, I'm never nervous, not ever," Jungkook practically wheezes. Seokjin has eyes on him through a camera in the stadium; their youngest is fidgeting anxiously on the platform, bracketed by the other Runners who are clearly trying to calm him down. "Are you kidding? I'm Jeon Jungkook from Busan, I'm not nervous, no way! I bench press Jimin-hyung every day, this is nothing —"

"Oh my god, that was supposed to be a secret!" Jimin shrieks into his mic, making Seokjin wince. "I'm never letting you do that again—"

"Jungkook," Namjoon says again, and it's really like a magic off button where it comes to their little freshman Runner. "It's okay to be nervous— In fact, it's normal. I was nervous before every single race I ever ran, official or not."

A long pause. "Really?"

"We all know you think the sun shines out of his ass, but how many times have I said that Namjoon's just a fucking dweeb with noodle limbs when he isn't running or writing published essays?" Yoongi snaps in the background, gruff and testy. Seokjin watches him grab Jungkook into a headlock, ignoring the younger's complaints as he tousles his hair. "Didn't I tell you he damn near pissed himself his first race? That he cried after? Literally, Kook, just do the bare minimum and you'll still be cooler than he was at your age."

Namjoon gapes, affronted. "Hyung, that wasn't necessary!"

Jungkook stares at Yoongi before his face eases into something approaching serene. "I feel better now," he sighs, giving his drone cam a thumbs up so that Seokjin and Namjoon can see it from the Relationer's room. "Thanks for not being perfect, hyung. That's like, super helpful right now, for real."

Pinching the bridge of his nose, Namjoon sighs. "… You're welcome, Jungkook."

"The ceremony's over," Seokjin realizes, half listening to the stadium audio and bringing everyone back on track. "Hoseok, Taehyung, Jimin and Jungkook, head towards exit D— The car should be at the pick-up point to transport you to your starting locations."

There's a bunch of slapping noises that filter through the muffled stadium noise; Yoongi grunts and grumbles, so it isn't difficult to determine who's the target of everyone else's abuse. "We're counting on you, grandpa," Taehyung singsongs, darting away to avoid getting smacked upside the head. "We'll see you back here!"

"Run fast," Jimin coos, giggling when Yoongi rolls his eyes. "Be gay and do crimes!"

"You too, brat."

"Good luck, hyung," Hoseok says sensibly, clearly sensing that Yoongi's at his wits end as he herds the younger members towards the exit as instructed. "Stay focused!"

Yoongi waves the lot of them off irritably, flapping his arm. After a beat, he sags into a crouch on the floor, less than a meter from the starting line. "Jin-hyung," he mumbles, palming the back of his neck and looking up at the sky. "It's really fucking hot today."

"Mm," Seokjin agrees, glancing at his Apple watch. 32°C and climbing, 62% humidity. "I know."

"I really don't wanna run outside."

'Fuck the fucking sun,' Yoongi is saying, like Seokjin hasn't known him for years. "Okay," he readily acquiesces, scrutinizing the route schematic. "How about we stay underground till the train station and through the underpass linking the malls? From thereon out, I'll guide you through the housing estate. There's no avoiding some sun time, but it's better than road running."

"That'll work."

Leaning back in his seat, Seokjin closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath before the race is due to begin.

There's something sacred about being in the Relationer's seat. It's a huge responsibility, and he's learnt that the position itself requires immense dedication— The amount of research he has to do before a match and the amount of time he has to spend learning their opponents from specialty to body type is undeniably demanding. It's unfortunate, but the fact remained that no matter how skilled – how talented, how agile and diligent – a team's Runners are, they wouldn't survive without a good Relationer.

'Sorry, TXT,' Seokjin thinks briefly, glancing sideways at their opponents' Relationer. 'But we're not going down today.'

"T-1 minute," Yoongi calls.

"I'm here," Seokjin replies, feeling the back of his chair shift as Namjoon's hand curls over the head cushion. "Hydrate."

It's only when they're minutes away from a match – and during the race itself – that Yoongi is surprisingly obedient. Bringing a bottle of water to his lips – Jungkook's, that's definitely Jungkook's, ugh – the Runner throws his head back and sips without comment.

"How are we feeling, Yoongi?"

"What? Fine." Adjusting his in-ear on the platform, Yoongi yawns. "I'm all warmed up."

"Alright," Seokjin says calmly, placated. "Set."

"Soobin, set," TXT's Relationer calls out, right after him.

Namjoon's tightens his grip on Seokjin's chair as both Soobin and Yoongi take their places on screen. The seconds that go by are terse, then the gun sounds in the stadium, the crowd cheers, and the Runners take off.

And that's it; the Finals of the 9th annual Stride Competition hosted by SNU have officially begun.

 

 

 

 

Yoongi doesn't do flats well.

Seokjin knows this— Knows every last one of his members like he does the back of his own hand. Yoongi isn't a sprinter; like Jimin, he's unexpectedly a gimmicks specialist. His lithe and slender body coupled with his quick thinking and adaptability make his Stride style ideal for difficult urban terrain courses, like the housing estate they're coming up on.

If he had to describe Yoongi as a Runner, words like 'reliable' and 'consistent' come to mind. He's been doing Stride the longest – has since before he'd known it was a real sport, since he'd been a child half his height in the 'ass-end' of Daegu, as he always says – and his skill in gimmicks have earned him World Class Tag championship medals two years running when he's only been 16. Seokjin knows that Yoongi will never let them down where it counts.

That's why he's the leader of all their Runners.

They're about 20 minutes in, and Yoongi is approaching the takeover zone. Time and position-wise, they're definitely behind TXT— Maybe by 20 seconds? 25? 25 seconds.

Which isn't unplanned, really; Soobin just happens to be a strong sprinter, and he doesn't hate the sun as much as Yoongi does. TXT's approach had been for their lead Runner to stick to the roads above ground. Which hadn't necessarily been wrong, but the leader's stamina needs more work before he's a formidable opponent in that area – even for Taehyung, let alone their lead Runner – and he's still a little clumsy with obstacles… Seokjin knows this.

He'd also kept the first half of Yoongi's run comfortable for him on purpose, because he's going to work their lead Runner to the fucking bone right before he reaches Hoseok in the takeover zone.

"Route?"

"Exit 4A to your right," Seokjin calls, watching Yoongi take a sharp corner with his hand curled around the railing for the staircase leading up to street level. "Once you're out, make another right and stay under the extended bus shelter till you see a playground to your left."

Yoongi's a quiet runner, so he doesn't typically do call backs. He conserves energy by listening to Seokjin while he's on the move, so it isn't till he's seen the playground that he speaks again. "Sighted," he barks curtly, panting a little. His face is shiny and pink with exertion, but he doesn't look truly worn out just yet.

At the very end of the shelter, Soobin's crossed the street and is entering the housing estate. '20 seconds,' Seokjin thinks, cold sweat beading at his temple. It's do or die; he'd like to transition with at least a small lead, putting a dampener on TXT's game in the next leg of the race. "Cross the playground and the recreation area between blocks 96 and 98," he commands, leaving the actual manner of crossing up to his Runner. He trusts him. "It's about 100 meters including the exposed car park. Once you're done, stay under the void decks till you see a wire fence protecting private housing."

"Okay," Yoongi says.

"Last spurt into the takeover zone," Seokjin calls. "I've let you take it easy, Yoongi; it's time to work a little harder now."

"Okay," Yoongi repeats himself, easy as anything, and then he's flying.

The stadium explodes with cheering as his movements are caught on the screen, and Seokjin smiles; none of them are into Stride for the fame, but it's always nice to be appreciated. Yoongi doesn't even hesitate as he double kong vaults across the wheelchair slope, his hands landing squarely on the ledges before he swings in the air with a gainer over the third ledge.

'Incredible,' Seokjin thinks, humbled.

Sticking his landing on the soft grass, Yoongi breaks into another run without missing a beat.

Namjoon leans in, chuckling. "He always looks so happy when he's not told what to do," he observes, amused.

'I know,' Seokjin thinks. 'That's why I let him do whatever he wants whenever I can.' "Hoseok," he calls out instead, lips curling upwards, "set."

"Ooo," Hoseok coos, his eyes brightening up on screen. His attached drone cam captures his delighted beam, and Seokjin has to tamp down the urge to laugh. "Already? Hyung's faster than I thought today."

"Not losing," Yoongi grunts down the line, finally panting hard around a wheeze. He swings his legs over a railing, executing a long drop on hard concrete with a catlike landing on all fours. "Not. To fucking. Rookies!"

"ETA, 30 seconds; we're 10 seconds behind," Seokjin says over Hoseok's bubbly laughter, watching Yoongi as he approaches the wire fence. "Run along the pavement and through the badminton courts; Hoseok is waiting under 104, in front of the KKA kindergarten—"

"I see him!"

"Hoseok," Seokjin orders, eyes narrowed at Yoongi's speed on the monitor, "3, 2, 1— Go!"

With a shriek of unbridled elation, Hoseok kicks off his run towards the opposing block, 106. Yoongi enters the 50-meter takeover zone, arm outstretched with fatigued, hysterical desperation as he draws closer.

"SEOK!" He yells.

Hoseok doesn't even look back, his arm thrown behind him with his palm twisted upwards. "I GOT YOU, HYUNG!" He shouts, not even slowing down – because he trusts Yoongi, always trusts him, trusts that the elder will hold out, will evenly match the pace of his last run with Hoseok's first – as he streaks ahead. "HERE, KITTY KITTY!"

"You… FUCKING… BRAT!"

The clap that sounds from their high-5 is loud and sharp, like a splash of cool water in Seokjin's face that makes even his teeth tingle. It's a perfect relation; most importantly, they're 4 seconds ahead of TXT's relay.

The stadium roars.

Seokjin's about to clench his fist in their first minor victory when a loud thudding noise comes from the booth next to theirs.

"FUCK!"

Namjoon stares over at TXT's Relationer, eyes narrowed. When Seokjin glances at him, the younger gestures that the guy next door has slammed his fists on the table in frustration with a roll of his eyes at the drama. 'He's pissed,' the manager mouths, lifting an eyebrow and pointing at his ear. 'Yelling,' he adds silently.

'TXT are getting yelled at by their Relationer for not keeping their lead,' Seokjin surmises, frowning at the younger guy through the glass before he turns to his screen. "Hoseok," he instructs over the sounds of Yoongi's labored breathing, "keep going straight through the estate towards the main road. We're going to town."

"You got it, hyung!"

"I'm fucking dying," Yoongi announces, voice hoarse as he curls up on the grass where he'd fallen after that close relation. "Withering away. Play Dionysus at my funeral."

"Same, but don't be so melodramatic," Seokjin sighs, looking up at Namjoon and getting a nod from the younger to indicate that, yes, the car is on its way to pry Yoongi off the ground. "You were barely dead."

"Fuck you," Yoongi manages, "and your Star Trek bullshit," before he promptly passes out.

"There it is," Taehyung chimes, only speaking now that he's the next Runner in line after Hoseok. "Yoongi-hyung's fainting princess syndrome~"

"He'll be mad that you called it that," Seokjin chides Taehyung, before turning to Namjoon. "Tell the driver to mute Yoongi's in-ear once he's in the car."

"Okay, I'll text him."

"Alright, sunshine," Seokjin says, turning back to the screen with bright eyes, "it's just you and hyung. Since we're running with rookies, let's show off a little bit."

"I'm down with that," Hoseok replies with a heart-shaped grin, sprinting across the main road into the edge of the central business district. "Let's get it, hyung!"

 

 

 

 

Unlike Yoongi's initial run with Soobin, Hoseok's run puts him in much closer quarters with TXT's second runner – Yeonjun – than Seokjin would like.

The second leg of the race takes place from the housing estate to the front of a cordoned off mall in the central business district. Since the match is indoors, there aren't many alternative routes that Seokjin can propose. It really doesn't help that Hoseok does particularly well on flats and less well with corners, but they'd needed him to maintain their lead for the road running into the city center.

Now that they're in the mall and approaching Taehyung's position, Hoseok is struggling more. "Up the escalator," Seokjin orders, gritting his teeth and eyeing Yeonjun's location. They've managed to keep pace, but the opposing Runner is clearly better with corners than he had been in the semi-finals; it's an advantage that he hadn't considered. Shit. "Break right towards the H&M and enter the doors leading to the carpark."

"I— I got it," Hoseok stutters, his breaths coming in fits and starts. He's already exhausted, and they're still 200 meters out from the takeover zone. This is bad; Seokjin should have considered slating Jimin for this, even though he's a little weaker than Hoseok on flats. "Hyung—"

"Yeah?"

"TXT's Runner—"

"Don't think about that; think about Taehyung," Seokjin says immediately, tamping down his own anxiety as Yeonjun's GPS market draws closer to TXT's takeover zone. "You can make it, Seoksie, we just have to get up the stairs to street level and around to the front of the mall."

Grunting with effort in lieu of answering Seokjin, Hoseok breaks through the doors with his shoulder.

"Turn right and go all the way straight; there's a door to the emergency stairs," Seokjin calls, digging his nails into his knees. Shit, shit, shit. TXT's already relaying, and Hoseok still has four and a half flights of stairs to climb. "Let's go, sunshine. Almost there."

Taking the steps two at a time, Hoseok pants like a dog down the line with his head hanging. Seokjin doesn't understand it; he's usually got more stamina than this, and it's uncharacteristic for him to look like he's in so much pain during a match. He's a regular ball of sunshine on the daily, but his smile when he does Stride is typically even brighter than his already larger-than-life grins.

What's going on?

"It's his last match as a senior," Namjoon quotes himself quietly in the background, sounding deceptive calm— Seokjin hears the little tremble in the word 'last,' and it makes his own heart stop. "… I wonder if I shouldn't have said that, right before the race."

That's it, isn't it? This being Hoseok's last run as a student, before he graduates and goes into Stride as a pro-athlete? Is he nervous? Is he choking? Swallowing thickly, Seokjin's fingernails dig into the curves of his palm. "Hey, Hoseok—"

He doesn't even manage to finish his sentence.

On screen, Hoseok overestimates his step and slips on the last flight of stairs, his distraught yell coming through the feed and making Seokjin scream.

"HOSEOK!"

TXT's Relationer glances over through the glass panel, eyes gleaming with satisfaction because this inevitably means that BTS will fall behind.

And that's so fucked up, but Seokjin honestly can't even care when he realizes that Hoseok isn't moving.

"Hyung!?" Taehyung shrieks, visibly panicking on screen as Hoseok crumples on the platform, his arms instinctively wrapped around his head to prevent a concussion. "Jin-hyung!? What happened to Hoseok-hyung!? JIN-HYUNG—"

"Did something happen?" Jimin cuts in, worry and fear dripping from his pitchy voice. "Hyung? Hyung!"

Ignoring both of them, Seokjin focuses on resisting the urge to touch Hoseok's folded frame on screen as white noise fills his ears. Turning his head, he looks at Namjoon as the younger lifts his phone to his ear, eyes wide. "Joon—"

"I'm already calling the paramedics on site, don't worry—"

"PARAMEDICS!?" Jungkook shrieks, hysterical. "HOSEOK-HYUNG!?"

"What's going on!?" Jimin demands, actually stomping his feet on screen. Seokjin wants to kermit. "Jin-hyung, tell us!"

"HYUNG!?" Taehyung wails. "HOSEOK-HYUNG!"

"No," Hoseok coughs. "No paramedics— I-I'm fine—"

"Hoseok!" Seokjin gasps, and this time he can't stop himself from curling his fingers around the monitor, gripping the cold metal like if he tries hard enough, he'll be able to feel the curves of Hoseok's shoulders under his palms. "Hoseok, don't move, you fell down a full flight of stairs—"

"No head injury," Hoseok interjects, wincing as he rights himself and struggles to his feet. He starts up the stairs again, but he's obviously limping— He'd fallen on his right side; was it his knee? His ankle? His hip? Fuck, a ligament? Which one? "I'll make it, hyung. But TXT—"

"Forget TXT; forget the fucking race!" Seokjin snaps, wrenching a hand into his hair as Namjoon speaks quietly to the paramedics onsite. "Just stay put and stop being stubborn, Hoseok! You still have a future career in Stride and if you don't—"

"I'll see the medics after—"

"Please, Hoseok, I am literally begging you—"

"I will graduate SNU," the Runner shouts at him, grimacing on screen, "as a Stride Champion of BTS!"

Falling silent, Seokjin buries his face in his hands. 'Jesus,' he thinks, watching Namjoon lower his phone from his ear in the reflection of the main screen, 'fuck.'

For a long moment, all he can do is watch Hoseok as he makes it up to street level, gripping the door handle with a white-knuckled fist as he pivots his weight on his good leg. The Runner tries going as fast as he can, and then Seokjin hears it.

"Taehyung, head to the very start of the takeover zone— As close to Hoseok as you can possibly get."

Lifting his head sharply, Seokjin stares at Namjoon.

Namjoon smiles a little bitterly, his shoulder rolling in a half shrug. "I understand his greed," he says simply, averting his eyes as he lets out a slow breath through his teeth. "Better than anyone, I think."

Of course he does.

The accident that had ended Namjoon's career in Stride had occurred in the year he'd been the closest to being drafted into the Korean Youth Olympic Stride team. He would have been the youngest member in history, making him a legend in the extreme sport. He'd been robbed of that through severe injury, and now he'll probably have to spend the rest of his life depending on a walking cane.

Namjoon must have his own regrets. He knows what it's like to have opportunity ripped away from him by injury, and yet…

Yet he puts aside his own fears – knows not to let them fall on the backs of his Runners – and trusts.

"Hoseok knows his own body; he's always been more careful than the rest of us," Namjoon continues, resting a hand on Seokjin's shoulder and smiling. It's small and brittle, but his cheeks dimple and that's all it takes for the Relationer's protest to crumble before it could even take shape in his mouth. "If he says it's a minor injury, I believe him… And I'll make sure the medics see to him as soon as they can, right after he relays to Taehyung."

Speaking of Taehyung, he's been suspiciously quiet; so have Jimin and Jungkook. "Tae?" Seokjin says quietly, watching the boy move to the start of the takeover zone just like Namjoon had requested. In the meantime, Hoseok's just now coming around the corner towards the front of the mall. "You okay?"

"Fine," Taehyung says shortly, before he spots Hoseok. "Hyung!" He calls out loudly, spreading his arms like he's going for a hug instead of the usual high-5. "Hyung, I'm over here!"

"Hey, tiger," Hoseok laughs weakly, hobbling over with another wince. Namjoon's jaw tightens as he watches him limp, his hand curling tight around the head of his walking stick. Seokjin feels his stomach turn. "Don't worry, I'm just a little sore. Twisted my ankle, is all."

"I'm never worried about hyung, because you always run farther and faster than I do; it's kind of annoying," Taehyung pouts, unmoving as Hoseok comes towards him. "Come lay your head on my bosom, my friend!"

Once he's within distance, Hoseok tumbles forward with a groan. "I'm s-sorry," he gasps, the words muffled into the front of Taehyung's Stride suit. The younger interlaces their fingers, squeezing tight. "We're… So behind…"

There's a long pause. Seokjin wishes he could see what's going on more closely, but the drone cams are simply filming the tops of the Runners heads. He has to manually adjust the point of focus, so he does.

"Hyung, I'm gonna run extra fast today," Taehyung winks, quickly but carefully laying Hoseok down on the ground. Hovering over the elder's face, he throws up a quick peace sign that frames his eye. "It's a special service for you, so you better relish it!"

There's a lump in Seokjin's throat as he listens to Hoseok's hollow laughter, but he shakes it off. There's no time to be emotional, not when they're already at least 5— No, 6 minutes behind TXT. "Tae—"

"Runner number 3, Kim Taehyung: set!" The younger announces before Seokjin can say the words, shifting into a squat next to Hoseok. "3, 2, 1— GO!"

And he's off.

"The paramedics will be there soon," Namjoon says softly, his shoulders sagging with relief. "Just hang on, Hoseok. You ran really well."

"I don't even know what to say," Hoseok says after a beat, closing his eyes as the sun warms his body, "but from the look on Taehyungie's face, 'sorry' hadn't been it."

Seokjin thoroughly agrees. "Good luck would have been more apt, I think," he tells their injured Runner gently, watching tears streak down Hoseok's temples, an arm thrown over his eyes, "but I think he'll be okay nonetheless."

 

 

 

 

Hoseok's accident – incident, Seokjin corrects himself quickly, because accident is such a bad word, a banned word, a no-no word – had caused them to lapse behind, but Taehyung hadn't been kidding when he'd said he'd run faster to make up for it.

Thankfully, the third leg of the match takes place in both Taehyung's areas of specialty; slopes and grass. Slopes on grass. In fact, the terrain matches his specialties so well that Taehyung had removed his shoes the second he's stepped foot into the park, and he'd been running barefoot till they got to the next takeover zone in a more urban area.

"WHEE," Taehyung screams, his steps thunderous and his strides wonderfully long. "HYUNG! Hoseok-hyung, are you watching me!? WE'RE CLOSING IN!"

"I'm watching," Hoseok croaks almost immediately, obviously in disbelief as he's being treated for his twisted ankle. Seokjin decides it's okay for him to be on call despite him having done his part— Clearly, the Runner needs it. "Yeah, I— Hyung's watching, TaeTae. Wow."

"I'm in peak condition! I have the power of god and anime on my side!" Taehyung crows, even though his heart rate is through the roof. He's clearly approaching his limit, face shiny with sweat as he frivolously flips over a parked motorcycle. "I'M BURNIN' THROUGH THE SKY, YEEEEEAH~ TWO HUNDRED DEGREES!"

"Oh my god," Jimin giggles down the line, warming up and stretching his arms. "Is that Queen?"

"It's always Queen with this one," Namjoon sighs behind Seokjin, his eyes fond as they rest on Taehyung's boxy grin. "It's literally never not Queen."

And Seokjin would scold Taehyung for overexerting himself, but they're already nearing the end of his run— The last thing he wants would be to destroy the good vibes the younger had painstakingly forced back into the team through sheer willpower and his boxy smile. "Alright, tiger, we're almost there," he says firmly, glancing at Jimin's screen. "Let's amp up the pace and close the gap!"

"THAT'S WHY THEY CALL ME MISTER FAHRENHEIT," Taehyung belts out, somehow managing to hit the notes even though he's running harder than Seokjin's seen in a long, long time. "I'M TRAVELING AT THE SPEED OF LIGHT! I WANNA MAKE A SUPERSONIC MAN OUT OF YOUUUUU—"

Beside him, TXT's Relationer is rapidly losing his cool as they're catching up. "Beomgyu, don't take the— SHIT!" Aggravated, the guy tosses his headset on the table before snatching it back up, yelling into the mic. "I fucking TOLD you to listen to me!"

'What a prick.' Well, it's finally come down to this— Seokjin's actually resorted to having petty thoughts about the Relationer beside him in the booth. He's an easygoing dude, but he's honestly been way more patient than he thinks is warranted where that's concerned, because the dickhead's next words to his Runner would make anyone seethe.

'What good is it having me around if you're just going to go off on your own!?' The Relationer yells at Beomgyu, who's been slated for this leg of the race. "I've been watching all of you in training and I told you that you could've made it! Stop forcing me to readjust the route and just do what I say!"

Ugh. Seokjin can't hear what Beomgyu is saying in response, but he doesn't really have to; it's easy to determine that the Relationer's last command – an 8-metre precision jump from building to building – had been overzealous and risky to execute, let alone by someone who's only been in Stride for less than a year.

'Great,' Seokjin thinks, not taking his eyes off the screens in front of him as he tries to ignore the continuous hassling TXT's Relationer is throwing down the line at the fact that their team has fallen a little behind in their lead— Due to his own error in judgement, at that. 'He's a self-absorbed prick, too.' "Jimin," he calls out sharply, watching Taehyung's bright purple dot cruising towards the takeover zone, "your soulmate's coming in hot. Set."

"Roger," Jimin sings in his ear, Taehyung's panting a soft song in the background. "ETA?"

Route A, 85 seconds. Route B, 40. Route C... Seokjin thinks about it, watching Taehyung's dot move along the length of the multi-storey parking lot. The feed shows he's on the third floor. Could he— 'Yes,' the Relationer decides, gritting his teeth and sticking to his guns, 'he can.'

"Hyung?"

"30," Seokjin says, watching Taehyung's go-pro screen and analyzing their drone footage. He's scouted this route at least a hundred times— With Namjoon, with Yoongi, with both. With the whole team. "Tae," he barks, adrenaline bubbling under his skin as his hands curl into fists on the table, "vault over the railing and tumble onto the roof of 403; make sure you stick the landing! Remember, the trash—"

"— Gets taken out every Wednesday," Taehyung grunts, eyes widening on the screen as he grins through his fatigue, fingers curling around the bars. Vaulting over the railing, he kicks off the metal bars; his momentum and vantage point carries him across a 6.5-metre prediction leap onto the roof of the low-rise building – block 403 – that's set for demolition next month. "At 6pm!"

"Good boy," Seokjin smirks, baring his teeth as Taehyung flies through the air, rolling into a stop before he's up again, breaths coming harsh and strong as he runs towards the fire escape. "Jimin, 3—"

"LET'S GO, DISTANCE BINGERS!" Jimin shrieks around an elated laugh, already on the move in the takeover zone towards his other half. "HAND UP, TAETAE!"

"Dashi run run run," Jungkook sings excitedly down the line as Taehyung books it to the second storey platform of the emergency fire escape, throwing himself off the side railing and into the trash bin beneath— The trash bin that's brimming with cushioning, because it's 3:39pm on a Wednesday. "Meomchul suga eobseo—"

"RUN RUN RUN— God, it smells in here," Taehyung chokes out through a rough cough, struggling upright in the bin and sticking a hand out as Jimin rounds the corner into the alley. "NAN EOJJEOL SUGA EOBSEO—"

"EOCHAPI IGEOTBAKKE NAN MOTAE," Jimin screams, holding up his hand and streaking past. "NEOREUL SARANGHANEUN GEOT BAKKEN MOTAE!"

On screen, in front of thousands of spectators, Taehyung's and Jimin's hands come together with a loud clap that echoes throughout the SNU stadium.

They're still at least 3 minutes behind TXT. They don't even have a lead, nothing worth really celebrating at all, nothing even approaching the usual progress they have on the opponent by the time Taehyung taps out, but their Distance Bingers have still managed to pull off a perfect relation in the middle of their takeover zone.

Seokjin could fucking cry.

Gaping as the crowd erupts with applause, TXT's Relationer shoots up from his seat. "That's not fair!" He protests vehemently over the glass panel, glaring daggers at Seokjin as he jabs a finger at their screens. "That trash bin, you're not allowed to—"

"OSA Rule 26: Stride teams may use any and all obstacles within the legal zone to their advantage, and teams are permitted to enter the premises a full month prior to officiated matches for preparatory purposes," Seokjin replies frostily, not even gracing their opponent with a cursory glance. He truly feels for the TXT Runners as their Relationer goes full aggro beside him, his attention unacceptably divided. "We are acting legally within Official Stride Association regulations; it isn't our fault that you did less research than we have."

"But—"

"It is stated nowhere that obstacles constitute of only that which is bolted down or unmovable— Only that public property should not be damaged," Namjoon says from behind them, and oh, he sounds mad. Seokjin almost winces on pure instinct, even though their manager's ire clearly isn't directed at him. "This is your second strike, and I won't say it again; sit back down, stop bothering our Relationer, and focus on your own team."

Seething, the fucking asshole sinks back down into his seat, yanking his headphones over his ears once more and snarling curt orders into his mouthpiece.

Namjoon and Seokjin share a sad knowing look before the latter turns to his screen, sharply tracking Jimin's neon pink dot as it tears down a slope. "We're looking good on time, pretty boy," he smiles, eyes softening as Taehyung climbs out of the trash bin with a muffled groan, muting his connection with their Relationer now that he's done his part. "Let's bring it home to our golden boy, Minnie."

"You got it!" Jimin shouts in his ear, already breathless. "Ready, Kook!?"

"Busan Boys always come thru!"

Jimin has always been beautiful in motion during training and he's no less remarkable to watch on the screens – even the ones for everyone to see – but only Seokjin and Namjoon get to see the close cam in the Relationer's booth, the drone that's tagged to every Runner for safety purposes in case they're injured or incapacitated.

Seokjin much prefers this view because it's close enough to capture Jimin's cocky grin that doesn't fade – never fades when he's on the move in official matches, never falters – and it's all teeth, practice and cold, hard experience. It's time.

It's blood, sweat and tears.

'You have to be strong to have fun in Stride,' Seokjin realizes, watching his Runners – his team, his family – fly. He feels Namjoon behind him more than he sees him, and it's all the Relationer needs to get a grip and get his head back in the game. "Sharp left corner turn into a 150-meter sprint," he calls, eyes on the main screen as he remembers walking that very road, remembers the sights and sounds and smells of the many mornings and afternoons and nights he'd spent staking out this hellish route. "Coming out of the tunnel, take the inclined slope on the right and wall pass into the skatepark."

"Yep," Jimin chirps, like he's out for a leisurely stroll and not angling for a new short distance record. "I hear you, hyung!"

And he does, he does, he always does. Jimin earns them precious seconds on the clock as Yeonjun streaks past with a different route, angling up the concrete drain covers and sticking the wall pass like the fucking champion he is.

Seokjin feels pride swelling in his chest, and his lips purse around his next near impossible – never impossible, he's learned his team inside out and for their sakes, he'll never expect more from them than they have to give, wouldn't even dare – command.

 

 

 

 

There's a special kind of joy Seokjin has when he's guiding Jimin as a Relationer.

Well, he's a delight at any given time to work with, anyway. Jimin just... He has this aura that draws people in; he's hungry for the spotlight in a way that is completely off base for most of their other members— Yoongi, in particular.

As such, Seokjin gets a lot more room for affection when it's Jimin's turn to run. "That's it, angel!" He praises, watching Jimin as he makes a precision jump that smoothly transitions into a dash. The route back to the SNU stadium is littered with obstacles, which is right up their Runner's alley. "All the way!"

"Uuugh, where is he!?" Jungkook whines impatiently down the line. "Kai is super fun to talk to but I thought hyung would be here by now! Why's he taking so long!?"

"Thanks?" Kai's voice is tiny and hesitant in the background.

"Jimin's route is heavy on gimmicks; he needs time to work through them," Seokjin explains for the second time in different words, massaging his temples. Jungkook's their golden boy – their all-rounder – and he's usually a pleasure when he's running, but he's always been the type to expect the impossible. BTS is lucky they have a realist like Seokjin as their Relationer, seriously. "He's closing in, so just get ready and stop complaining."

"But hyuuung—"

"Let's see you try to make it through this insane jungle gym without taking your own head off!" Jimin huffs, quadrupedling since he's elected to take the low route. As they've grown closer to the university, special structures that have been constructed specifically for the match have been popping up more and more frequently— Spectators are also increasing in numbers along the cordoned off roads, all of them shrieking up a storm whenever the Runners come into view. "Hyung, where are we on time?"

"We're only a minute behind TXT; your precision jumps and muscle-ups have really shaved down their lead," Seokjin tells him, sadistically pleased. The Relationer next door is having a fit of a lifetime, steam coming out of his ears and everything. "Is it because there's a crowd that's cheering your name?"

"D-Don't be rude," Jimin retorts shakily. The drone cam draws close enough that Seokjin can see how his eyes are hazy and unfocused— The lead's been closed considerably, but making up for lost time has definitely taken its toll on the Runners after Hoseok. "I'm not that selfish; they're shouting our name! BTS!"

Seokjin knows. He also knows that out of everyone in the team, Jimin would benefit the most from the cheering. That's why he'd slated him for this leg of the race.

"Will it make you faster is I cheer for you, hyung?" Jungkook harasses the elder good-naturedly, jumping up and down on the same spot in the takeover zone. "Park Jimin, PARK JIMIN!"

"That's Park Jimin-HYUNG to you!"

"JIMIN-SSI! JIMIN-SSI!"

Ignoring the way Namjoon laughs behind him, Seokjin rolls his eyes at their bantering. "Jimin, I can't take another moment of Jungkook's nonsense," he grumbles, folding his arms. "Just a little more till you can shut him up for me, please."

"Hey!" Jungkook protests, pouting on screen.

"With… Pleasure!" Jimin grunts, executing a neat underbar to punctuate his words. He lands on his feet in a low crouch, using his momentum to pivot his weight forward into an immediate sprint. He runs like he's dancing, moving to the rhythm of the air almost effortlessly while disrupting the flow of his body as little as humanly possible. It's unreal.

"Pretty," Namjoon smiles knowing, leaning on his cane.

Seokjin agrees. He also doesn't think he'll ever get used to seeing it, whether in person or on a screen. "Taehyun lags in the last spurt; it'll be tough, but we can still make up the distance," he reminds Jimin, who's panting hard into his mic. "High jumps or low sprints, sugar?"

"High," Jimin strains, his teeth bared. "Faster. Better."

'He must've memorized the site map,' Seokjin realizes, impressed. "Alright, pretty boy," he nods, glancing at Jungkook as he hops up and down like the Energizer bunny on speed. The takeover zone is actually in a faculty building on the second floor, which means Jimin is going for a roof-to-overhead bridge jump to get within the takeover zone. Good choice. "The staircases are cordoned off for new railing installations in block 12, so head to the roof of 11 instead."

"Roger," Jimin calls back sharply, gunning up the slope and reaching the spiked metal gates that separate school property from public. He wraps his hands around the top rail tightly, groaning as he twists his flexible wrists, kicks off the bars to shift his center of gravity and vaults over with a 360 flip.

"What the fuck," TXT's Relationer says, staring at their screens through the glass. Seokjin would tell him off for being distracted from his own team again, but he sort of agrees with the guy for once, because. You know. Jimin. "What the fuck? How—"

Jesus, he even sticks the landing with perfect grace, facing the fence. Turning on his heel, Jimin books it to block 11 just like Seokjin had told him to do.

It makes the Relationer snap back to reality. "Jungkook," he calls out, studying Jimin's fluctuating speed on the monitor, "set."

It's like their youngest is electrified. Jungkook suppresses what looks like a full-body shiver before nodding furiously to the drone cam, sinking into position. "I'm good to go anytime," he says, voice tremulous with anticipation even though there's a dull ruckus on his end of the line. "Kai's just taken off; what's hyung's ETA?"

"2 minutes," Seokjin murmurs, keeping his eye on Jimin. The Runner is climbing up the first in a row of many low-rise student dormitories, utilizing the aesthetic wave-like structures built into the building to muscle his way up instead of entering the building to use the stairs. "TXT still has 45 seconds on us."

"Between Tae and I, that lead's about to become no seconds," Jimin wheezes despite the bravado in his tone, gulping air greedily as he rolls onto the roof with an exhausted gasp. He wastes no time in getting up, sparing himself half a second to just breath before he starts towards the ledge. "Kook, if you lose this one, I'm taking back that limited edition Iron Man figure I got you last year!"

"What!?" Jungkook gapes, comically affronted as Seokjin muffles a laugh with his hand. "Hyung, that's not fair! That was my birthday present, it's mine now!"

"I'll take your Xbox One X too!"

"No waaay—"

"Don't be so dramatic; just take home the win and your Iron Man figurine and the damn Xbox will be fine," Seokjin grouses, flapping at Namjoon to keep it down when he snorts in the background. Jimin is managing his precision jumps and nailing his vaults; TXT's lead is becoming almost negligible at this point. "He's flying, Kook; you ready?"

Letting out a long breath, Jungkook's shoulders loosen. "Ready."

"3, 2, 1—"

Jungkook's off.

Leaping off the roof of the last student dormitory, Jimin lands on the L-shaped overhead bridge connecting the building to the faculty offices. From there, it's easy for him to slide off the curved shelter onto the gravel, landing on both his feet as he breaks through the doors into the building. "HOW AM I FASTER THAN YOU!?" He shrieks over his shoulder, watching Jungkook as the younger rounds into view. "YOU IDIOT!"

"I CAN CATCH UP, STOP YELLING AT ME," Jungkook roars, tearing after Jimin. He stretches out his hand, straining as they reach the end of the long hallway. "HYUNG!"

Jimin jumps as they reach the wall, pulling one last hat trick out of his ass at the final moment. Spinning midair, he kicks the plaster, leaving behind a faint shoeprint on the creamy surface as he swings his arm.

CLAP.

In Hoseok's last official match as a senior in SNU, they make 3 perfect relations. Now that their Anchor's in play, they're finally going to be neck and neck with TXT again. Whopping, Jungkook ups his speed; Seokjin has chills.

'Last leg of the match,' Seokjin thinks, his heartbeat in his ears. His chest feels like it's going to explode; he's spent the past hour thinking so hard he feels like his brain's turned to much. 'Just a little more, Kim Seokjin. Do it for him.'

He looks up, swallowing thickly.

Behind him, Namjoon's turned to stone save for his eyes, which are brilliant and golden and mesmerized. Seokjin wants to give him the gold he'd deserved in 2016, right before his world has crumbled to ash.

"Hyung!" Jungkook calls out, eyes gleaming as he spots Kai on the other end of the building through the windows. "I see him! Where do I go!?"

Turning back to the screens, Seokjin's shoulders stiffen. "After him," he barks, surprising even himself with the amount of aggression he hears in his own voice. 'We're BTS,' he thinks, his tongue heavy in his own mouth. 'We've never run from anyone or anything, unless it's towards the gold.'

"You want me to bring it in?" Jungkook balks, shocked. And for good reason; Seokjin's always been worried about how competitive their youngest is, and how that'd translate to a neck and neck match, much like this one. They've never really had an opportunity to see how it'd turn out, but something tells the Relationer that today's the day to set their golden boy absolutely fucking wild. "Close quarters?"

"Close quarters," Seokjin agrees, leaning over the table and smirking at the screens in front of him. Beside them, TXT's Relationer is yelling down the line for Kai to speed up and widen the gap, but no, not a chance. He isn't going to let Jungkook let them go without a fucking fight. "Let's go, boy wonder!"

Jungkook doesn't need to be told twice; he springs into action with a happy and slightly manic laugh. It's like watching a feral dog come off a leash; his jumps have more power in them, his vaults make him gain speed instead of slowing him down, it's as though his vision tunnels down to Kai's back.

This is the latest anyone's ever maintained a lead against them in an official match. It should fill him up with nerves, but as a Relationer, Seokjin watches Jungkook dive out of the window into the crown of a tree with a thrilled scream, and yeah.

He doesn't think it gets any better than this.

 

 

 

 

The chase is intense, and dirty. When Kai gains some ground on a slope, Jungkook powers across the fountain in the university's courtyard with a reckless wall pass. When Kai runs atop the tables in the cafeteria, Jungkook's sliding across the tiles with a slick underbar. When Kai leaps down full flights of staircases, Jungkook focuses on jumping from railing to railing to shave down TXT's lead.

Which has almost effectively vanished, so there's that.

It's a matter of whose mind breaks from the pressure, first. The pressure of leading, versus the pressure of catching up.

And Kai is good, but he isn't Jungkook— Jungkook, who has them, who has BTS. Jungkook, who has Yoongi to train him in gimmicks, teaching him how to do his very first vault to his latest kong-gainer and how to elevate his transitions. Jungkook, who has Hoseok to gym with, the pair of them discussing ways to improve their muscle mass and make their bodies leaner, meaner machines than they already are. Jungkook, who has Jimin to remind him to eat right, who makes sure he – all of them – have enough rest, that they remember to play as hard as they work.

Kai isn't Jungkook, who has Taehyung to watch new videos with on YouTube, both eager to try new things and put together exciting new combinations to show off to all their hyungs. Jungkook, who always – always – has Seokjin's voice in his ear, implicitly trusting that the elder will guide him and encourage him, will lead him home. Jungkook, who has Namjoon, who first weaved the very passion the younger has for Stride into his fucking bones.

And Jungkook, who has his hyungs, is unstoppable.

Kai breaks first. This is evidenced by the way he starts slipping up, making small mistakes and losing what's left of TXT's precious lead. He takes a little too long to steady himself after a precision jump, he almost trips over his own foot as they pass through the school's tennis courts.

It isn't that his body's gotten heavier or that his skills have diminished in the last few minutes— Kai is just losing in mental warfare against Jungkook, because being hunted down by their youngest when he's like this – in predator mode, a monster, a nightmare – is something out of a fucking horror movie.

Seokjin, of course, understands this. TXT's Relationer, however, does not.

"They're overtaking us, you fucking— Are you kidding me!?" The dickhead yells down the line, slamming a fist on the table. "I've been Relationing for more than 3 years now, and I've never seen a team with a 6-minute lead lose this fucking badly! Get your shit together, Kai!"

It takes real strength for Seokjin not to head over and punch this fucking asshole. "Kook, cut through the School of Humanities and head towards the GSES building," he grits out, thoroughly annoyed despite maintaining an impervious façade. "Once you're there, the—"

"Fine Arts building," Jungkook nods on screen, eyes hard as he vaults over a handicap railing. "I got it!"

Both Runners are almost back at the stadium, Seokjin realizes, and they've somehow managed to inch ahead of TXT— No doubt due to their fucking awful Relationer, but there's really no helping that. "Good," he says, watching Jungkook tear across the lawn with his head thrown back, his eyes narrowed in a tired squint. "Looking good; remember, there's an architecture exhibition going on between blocks 55 and 53, so—"

"Round it?"

"No, through it," Seokjin decides immediately, remembering layout of the exhibition. TXT's basically following their lead now; Jungkook's run into the building will slope him down to the basement, but it'll mean that he can lose the other Runner amongst the metal fixtures before coming up to the surface again. "Use the terrain to gain on Kai."

"Okay," Jungkook pants, his mouth wobbly around a grin as he obediently follows through.

Then.

Then they're in the basement. Then Jungkook's in the exhibition. Then Kai's making bad jumps with messy footwork, his fatigue plain as day on his face. Then TXT's Relationer is jumping out of his chair, shouting into his microphone even as the headset is unplugged from the main monitor.

"I SAID HE CAN DO IT!"

"AND I SAID HE CAN'T!" Soobin's voice filters into the room, tinny and panicked. "Kai, don't do it, do you hear me!? DON'T DO IT—"

"I can do it," Kai insists, choking for breath like he's hyperventilating, chasing after Jungkook with his arms akimbo. He sets up for a jump from the top of a structure, his arms swinging. "I CAN—"

'Oh my god,' Seokjin thinks, his mind scrambled as he stares at TXT's monitor before he blinks at his own. At that height, at Kai's angle— "Oh my god, JUNGKOOK—"

Kai's drone cam cuts out. TXT's Relationer curses as the other members of the team scream bloody murder down the line, their hysteria filling the room.

'No,' Seokjin thinks, his mouth dry. 'No way.'

Two accidents – incidents, Seokjin corrects himself quickly, because accident is such a bad word, a banned word, a no-no word – in one day?

On their monitor, Jungkook is curled around Kai on the ground, his arms protectively cradling the boy as he groans. At least they haven't passed out, although the younger of the two isn't speaking— Just choking on muffled sobs, shaking and shivering with adrenaline and panic and fear as his limbs spasm with overexertion.

"H-Hey," Jungkook says softly, eyes widening when Kai curls his fists into the latex of his Stride suit, absolutely bawling. "Oi…"

"KAI!" Soobin shouts, sounding so young and so afraid Seokjin's heart actually aches. "KAI, WHAT'S GOING ON!? WHERE ARE YOU!? KAI!"

"Fucking unbelievable," TXT's Relationer hisses, walking back to the table and reaching for the headset, likely to plug it back in and rip into Kai for bailing on the jump. He doesn't quite get there, though— Namjoon steps in his way.

"Move," he snaps, glaring up at Namjoon.

"You fucking move," Namjoon replies. "In fact, leave."

"Excuse me?" The Relationer snarls, outraged. He makes a grab for the headset. "This is a matter between the TXT Runners and I; you can't just—"

Namjoon slams his cane on the table before the Relationer can even touch the headset. "Get the fuck out of my sight," he says in a low, dangerous voice, his eyes glinting, "and leave TXT. If I ever see your face in Stride again, I'll claw it off your head and feed it to fucking dogs."

'Holy shit,' Seokjin thinks, drawing a blank. 'He just cussed. He's snapped.'

The Relationer's gaping mouth closes with an audible click of his teeth, but he clearly knows when to cut his losses. Striding past Namjoon, he doesn't say a word before he leaves, slamming the door in his wake.

The TXT members are still speaking over one another frantically, their anxiety almost a palpable, ugly thing in the Relationer's room. Seokjin swallows thickly, watching Jungkook cuddle Kai onsite while whispering whatever it takes into his ear to make him calm down.

"Hey, it's okay, it's okay; honestly, now that I'm looking up at where you came from, I probably would've bailed on that myself," Jungkook murmurs, hiding Kai's face in his neck with a hand on the back of his head as the boy's sobs die down to little sniffles. At least he isn't hyperventilating anymore. "Well, to be fair, Jin-hyung definitely wouldn't have even asked that of me because holy shit, that is so high? Damn, dude, the balls on you."

Kai giggles. It sounds a little wet, but it's something.

The noise from TXT's feed dies down a little when all the members hear their youngest laughing through their in-ears, each of them straining to hear it again. "Kai?" Someone says softly, his tone clearly meant to mollify the rest of the team. "Hey, NingNing, you okay?"

This makes Kai pause before he nods, hiding his face as he chews on his lower lip. "'yung," he whispers, curling in on himself as Jungkook frowns, "m'sorry… The match…"

"It's okay," someone else says firmly. Seokjin doesn't know enough about TXT to really distinguish their voices— Just Soobin's, since he'd spoken the most to them prior to the race. "It's fine, it doesn't matter. Are you injured?"

"J-Just… My knee… It hurts? I don't know what happened, but…"

Namjoon takes the seat in front of TXT's monitors, clearing his throat loudly. "Hello," he says pleasantly. "This is Kim Namjoon of BTS. We still have a visual on both our Runner and yours, since Jungkook's drone cam is working fine."

"What?" Soobin blurts, shocked. "But— But what happened to—"

"Your Relationer left; your manager was never in the room," Namjoon says dismissively, clapping his hands together when questions begin to overlap one another in the feed. "Calm down; it wasn't like he was doing a great job of it to begin with. I'll stand in for him till the match is over, and keep you updated about what's happening."

"Jungkook," Seokjin says down their line, brows furrowed, "are you injured?"

Shaking his head briefly, Jungkook blinks at his drone cam. "Not really; probably just bruised?" Glancing over his shoulder, he lifts an eyebrow. "I noticed that the platforms are made of foam, so when I saw Kai falling I angled my body."

Mouth falling open, Seokjin stares at the screen. "You— You caught him?" He asks, just to be sure because what the fuck? "Jungkook…"

Scratching the back of his head, Jungkook's mouth twists around a grimace. "I mean," he starts, frowning with a small shrug, "I knew that I could take his weight if I pivoted on my ankle at the right time? Yoongi-hyung practiced tumbling with me till I cried during training and then he panicked and agreed to start teaching me basic vaults, and it's what all of the hyungs would have done, so I just…"

Jesus Christ. The godtier reflexes on this dumbass. "You fucking miracle boy," Seokjin breathes, so, so proud of Jungkook, of his team. Fuck, he's tearing up a little bit. "I love you so much, you stupid idiot."

"Isn't that a little rude!?"

"It's what you get, so deal with it."

"You're being mean!"

"Jin-hyung," Namjoon calls over the glass panel, standing up and peering over. "Could you unplug the headset so we can all hear what's going on with both teams? Oh," he pauses, pointing at the keyboards to add, "are you able to remotely unmute all of the Runners' in-ears?"

A little confused, Seokjin nods and does both those things in order before immediately regretting it.

"—UNGKOOOOOK!" Taehyung screams into the feed, shrill and manic. "OH MY GOD, HE WAS SO YOUNG—"

"WAAAAAH," Hoseok flat out wails, making Seokjin cup his hands over his ears with a wince. "JUNGKOOK, ARE YOU REALLY OKAY!? HYUNG WILL COME AND GET YOU—"

"He's not even injured, let alone dead," Yoongi snaps. Looking at the stadium cam, Seokjin can see him shoving both Taehyung and Hoseok, trying to get him to shut up as they wait at the finish line with the other Runners from TXT. "And will you quit yelling? How are we going to hear a damn thing from either of them if your stupid voices are clogging up the channel!?"

"Hyung, you're the one shouting now," Jimin sighs, picking up a water bottle – Christ, that's Taehyung, isn't it? Yup, it's Taehyung's – and swigging liberally. "Kookie, are you sure you're not hurt?"

The TXT members seem to have shut up, too cowed by the hysteria from BTS as a whole to make a sound. "He's fine, so calm down," Seokjin sighs, wondering how the hosts are actually commentating this whole affair before deciding that nope, he doesn't even want to know. "TXT's Kai seems to be faring alright as well, although he's mentioned hurting his knee. We're trying to figure out where to go from here, since the match was clearly interrupted—"

"Jungkook," Namjoon speak, and as usual, his voice immediately commands attention, especially from Jungkook himself. "We're going to do a collaboration, okay?"

Pausing, Jungkook wriggles his nose at the camera. "Wuh?" He says, oh-so intelligently. "A what, hyung?"

"A collaboration," Namjoon repeats himself patiently, smiling. Seokjin leans around the glass panel, lifting an eyebrow at their manager. What is he— Oh.

Oh?

"From now till the end of this match, BTS and TXT will temporarily be a 10-man team; we will cross the finish line together, or not at all," Namjoon declares, eyes softening as he stares at the stadium cam on TXT's screens, the shocked faces of each member pixelated and a little blurry. "Of course, that's just a proposal on my part. The other Runners—"

"Seconded," Hoseok replies instantly, and if Seokjin had blinked, he'd have missed the way Namjoon's shoulder loosen just a little with their Runner's immediate support. "Doing this any other way would leave a bad taste in my mouth. Let's go for it!"

"I don't really care either way, so wake me up when they get here," Yoongi rumbles, sluggishly retreating back under the shade of the nearest tent. "In fact, just let me sleep through the award ceremony, those things are so long and it's so fucking hot today, I hate it…"

"Yes? Oh my god, yes," Taehyung squeals, hugging Jimin on the platform with bright, shining eyes on his drone cam. Seokjin touches his face on screen, thoroughly endeared by his apparent enthusiasm. "That's so cool, it's like the finale of an anime—"

"I'm A-okay with it too— Will you stop squeezing me, you overgrown golden retriever?" Jimin whines, making a half-hearted attempt to pry Taehyung's arms off. "We're both sweaty! At least wait till we all take a shower—"

"Since you're injured, I can piggyback you," Jungkook tells Kai onsite, slowly helping the younger sit up. Scooting over, he squats and waits for the kid to chamber onto his back. "You shouldn't put weight on it, so get on—"

"B-But," Kai replies, voice small and shaky, "you shouldn't—"

"You shouldn't do this," Soobin says softly, lowering his head. He sounds younger than he looks, the tremulous slur of his words doing something to Seokjin's heart. From the way Namjoon's lips curve up into a smile, it's doing something to him, too. "Kai will be picked up by our team's driver. Your Runner should continue and finish the race…"

"Soobin, you have a good team of Runners," Namjoon intercedes calmly, folding his arms on the table and facing the monitor. "All of you were strong competition in many ways— That's why you were able to come this far, despite your godawful Relationer and your absent manager."

"Even before the match, we already knew your team wasn't complete," Seokjin adds, glancing at Jungkook as he loops Kai's arm around his shoulders, encouraging him to at least rely on him for that much. "It doesn't sit right with us, leaving your Runner behind."

"It's my last official match as a senior at SNU," Hoseok speaks up, a little unexpectedly. On the monitor, all the TXT Runners on the platform whip around to stare at him with wide eyes. The extra attention doesn't even slow Hoseok's roll; spreading his arms, he laughs and engulfs all four of their opponents in a big hug. "Since it's a momentous occasion for me, will you entrust us with Huening Kai just this once, and let us do what we want?"

While the TXT members are rendered speechless by Hoseok's spiel, Kai hasn't stopped staring at Jungkook once, even as they're slowly making their way up the stairs from the basement to ground level. "Hyung?" He calls out, hesitant.

"Yeah?" Soobin replies purely on instinct to Kai's voice, echoed thrice over by his other members. "Kai? What's wrong, does it hurt?"

"Ah, no— I was—" A little embarrassed, Kai blinks. "I wasn't… Um. Jungkook-hyung?"

"Wait, who? What, me?" Seemingly surprised at being called 'hyung' for once, Jungkook gapes at Kai. "Uh. Yes?"

"Is that… Okay? If I call you that?"

"Yeah! Yeah, of course, sure, that's fine," Jungkook blurts, baffled. Seokjin has to work really hard not to laugh at his bewildered face. "What's wrong? Are we going too fast?"

"No— It isn't that," Kai says quickly, shaking his head before he stares down at their feet. Leaning more into Jungkook's side, he smiles gratefully. "I just— Thank you. For catching me…"

Jungkook's eyes literally have hearts in them, he's so soft for the kid. "No problem," he tells the younger, squeezing Kai's shoulder as they finally get hit by their first ray of sunlight through the buildings. "We're almost there; let's go together, okay?"

"Okay…"

"I guess that settles it, right?" Taehyung chirps back in the stadium, dragging Jimin over to TXT's little huddle with Hoseok. "Because I don't know anything about your team, but if it's anything like ours, you're all wrapped around Kai's little finger."

"Not all of us are pistol whipped for the freshman," Yoongi chimes in from his place under one of the tents, surprisingly not asleep. He does sound drowsy, though. "Hey Kook, if you're listening to this, fuck you."

"All of a sudden!?" Jungkook retorts, perplexed.

"You're not wrong; even if all of us try not to be, we cave pretty easily to whatever Kai wants," one of the TXT Runners tell Taehyung eventually, sagging against Soobin on the platform. "… We don't typically make it a habit to tell him that, though. Too dangerous."

"Hey!" Kai protests, huffing into the team feed. "I'm not that bad—"

"You're worse."

"Believe me, no one's worse than Jungkook," Jimin informs the TXT Runners in the stadium, pinching the bridge of his nose with a sad shake of his head. "He's so weird, seriously. One time, he fought Hoseok-hyung over a stupid banana—"

"That was as much Hoseok-hyung's fault as it was mine!" Jungkook retorts, feeling wronged.

"Hey, I'm the one that bought the banana!" Hoseok reminds him through the chat, folding his arms. "If you want to eat bananas, go buy your own bananas!"

"IT'S LITERALLY JUST A BANANA—"

"SO BUY YOUR OWN BANANAS!"

"But hyuuuuung—"

With everything decided, Seokjin leans back in his seat and lets everyone chatter. This is the weirdest match they've ever had as a team, but he can't say he regrets it too much. "I thought about listening to the stadium audio feed," he tells Namjoon, staring up at the ceiling, "but I don't think my brain could handle it."

"No point. Everyone's eating it up – something about the spirit of competition living on or whatever – so I doubt there's going to be any backlash from this," Namjoon informs him pleasantly, getting up and coming back around to rest his hands on Seokjin's shoulders. "Awards ceremony will be interesting, though," he adds, smiling down at the elder. "It was a good race as always, hyung."

"Mm." Seokjin closes his eyes as Namjoon massages him, feeling the tension bleed from his shoulders. "As always?"

"We're BTS," Namjoon chuckles, like Seokjin needs any reminding of what that means. "When we run, it's always a good race."

That's true. "Should we head down to join the other members early?" Seokjin asks, still not moving. Ugh, he sort of hates himself for suggesting that now; Namjoon gives pretty decent massages. "If Jungkook somehow manages to lose his way in his own school, I'd consider that a miracle… Even for him."

"Sure," Namjoon snickers, giving Seokjin's shoulders one last squeeze before he reaches for his cane. "Let's do that."

 

 

 

 

Jungkook and Kai rounds into the stadium at the same time, both laughing. Pretty much everyone's abandoned their in-ears save for Seokjin and Soobin, so they're the only ones who know what their youngest Runners are saying.

"I don't know why we even argued so much about it; mint choco is a good flavor," Jungkook is saying with a scoff, patting Kai on the shoulder and nodding towards the crowd. They lift their arms in unison, waving as cheers erupt from the stands. "Namjoon-hyung even said that it's a flavor that should be gone. Isn't that too extreme?"

"I'd be sad if it were gone," Kai admits, smiling beatifically for the spectators as he hobbles, still leaning on Jungkook to take the weight off of his bad leg. "I like it too."

"Right? They said it tastes like toothpaste and that Hoseok-hyung and I should just brush our teeth if we want to eat mint choco—

These idiots are seriously discussing something like that while leisurely making their way to the finish line? Seokjin is too tired to even chime in and remind Jungkook that Namjoon had been right, but he thoroughly regrets keeping his in-ear with him.

"— And both athletes have entered the stadium!" Dony – or Cony, who knows – announces, his voice booming across the stands. "Runner Jeon Jungkook from BTS and Runner Heuning Kai from TXT were both involved in an unexpected accident earlier, but they've displayed excellent sportsmanship and camaraderie built through the sport—"

  
'Actually,' Seokjin almost says aloud, 'that camaraderie was built on their subpar taste buds, but sure.'

"— As such, please join us in cheering for both athletes as they inch closer to the finish line together!"

"JUNGKOOKIE!" Taehyung screams once the younger is within hearing range, cupping his hands around his mouth and leaning over the finish line as far as he can without tipping himself over. "LET'S GET IT!"

"KAI!" One of the TXT members – Yeonjun, Seokjin thinks – calls out, waving excitably. "ALMOST!"

There's a huge ruckus. Seokjin stands back, content to watch as Jungkook and Kai yell something to their hyungs, speaking over each other. Yoongi yawns beside him, slouching against Namjoon's back and using his shadow as shade from the sun. Hoseok's own twisted ankle from earlier has been treated, and he beams as the race is drawing to a close.

Then Soobin says something into his mic to Kai, and three things happen in quick succession:

  1. Kai unwinds his arm from around Jungkook's shoulder, his grin wide and toothy.  

  2. He places a hand on Jungkook's back as they're a meter away from crossing.  

  3. He pushes Jungkook so hard that the Runner stumbles across the finish line first, yelping as he crashes headfirst into Jimin and Taehyung.



All three of them end up on the ground, the roar of the crowd deafening as they take in what just happened on the big screens in the stadium. "Oof— OW!" Jimin whinges in pain, clutching a hand over his left eye. Seokjin rushes over to help, brows pinched with confusion as he tries to untangle 12 limbs— It really shouldn't be as hard as it is. "Kook, your shoulder hit me! Tae, get off!"

"I didn't fall over on purpose!"

Jungkook's mouth falls open as he tips his head back, staring up at Kai as the younger anxiously hobbles over the line, clearly putting himself in the second place. "What— Why—"

"I'm sorry I pushed so hard!" Kai apologizes quickly, eyes wide with panic. Taehyun runs over to act as his support, wrapping an arm around their youngest member's waist. "Soobin-hyung, he— He was the one who told me to, but I really didn't think you'd be surprised enough to fall over—"

Soobin, huh? Seokjin glances over at TXT's leader, who walks over to Namjoon with his hand extended.

"It was a good race; the best match we've ever had as a team," Soobin says calmly, his in-ear clutched in his other fist that's hanging by his side. "You were very kind, but we clearly fell short— As the leader of these guys, I just couldn't bring myself to let our Runner couldn't cross the line at the same time as yours."

"We did say it was okay," Namjoon points out, lifting an eyebrow at Soobin as the TXT members cluster behind him. "All of us. Hoseok even gave you a hug and everything."

"Even so, I'd like for us to become stronger and win your team based on our own merit." Dropping his arm, Soobin bows in apology. The rest of the TXT Runners follow suit, lowering their heads as though on cue. "I'm sorry for being so stubborn."

Namjoon's silent for a while, before he smiles. "We didn't consider your feelings," he admits, placing a hand on the leader's shoulder and guiding him to stand up straight. "You're a good leader, Choi Soobin," the manager adds with a conspiratorial wink, making the younger flush to the tips of his ears at the compliment. "If TXT keeps improving and you come for our necks next year, things are going to be very fun."

"Thank you very much!" Soobin barks, much too loud. To Namjoon's credit, he barely flinches in response. "We'll keep getting better, till we can face you again in an official match."

"We'll definitely win the next time!" Kai chimes in, wincing as he accidentally puts his weight on his back leg. "Um," he adds sheepishly, glancing at Namjoon, "… Sir? Sunbaenim?"

"Don't call him either of those things; you'll inflate his ego and then he'd be even more fucking impossible than he already is," Yoongi scoffs in the background, grabbing Jungkook and Taehyung by their collars and dragging them off the platform. "Hurry up; let's get the awards ceremony over and done with. I want to shower and go home and sleep…"

"Ow, hyung, HYUNG, DON'T PULL—"

"You'll stretch my suit, you'll STRETCH IT, I ONLY HAVE ONE—"

"A lot happened, but all's well that ends well!" Throwing an arm around Jimin, Hoseok beckons for the TXT members to join them. "The hosts are already asking us to get up there again, so let's go together!"

'What a troublesome bunch,' Seokjin thinks, joining Namjoon and falling behind both teams. "I don't know how you imagined all of this would have turned out later," he starts, feeling pensive, "but TXT would probably have received the silver medals anyway. You know that, right?"

"Of course; it's only natural that we take home the gold." Leaning on his cane and keeping pace with Seokjin, Namjoon smiles at Soobin's back. "But," he continues quietly, "it feels good to hear their resolve. I think their team needed to hear that from their own leader's mouth, to get past the trauma of this match."

Hmm. There isn't much Seokjin can say to that, seeing as he agrees.

They make their way to the podium, where the awards ceremony will take place. TXT will take home the silver, BTS will take home the gold, and come hell or high water, Seokjin has a feeling that both teams will reconvene next year to do the whole song and dance all over again.

And TXT will be stronger – more experienced, more battle-tested – when they next meet, but that's par for course. 'Fine by me,' Seokjin thinks, looking at the back of their Runners, looking at Namjoon beside him. 'Anyone can try taking the gold from us, but they're going to have to pry it from our cold, dead hands.'

Because they're BTS, and they doesn't intend to rest on their laurels for a long, long time.

**Author's Note:**

> So... That happened www.
> 
> Truth be told, I used to do parkour for a period of time; nothing too fancy, mostly the basic stuff like vaults and wall passes - I was always too scared to work on flips so I never got to learn even half the cool shit in this fic - but I had a good time while I was trying it out. Writing this was fun since I could really visualize the routes; I even consulted a map of SNU wwwww.
> 
> This actually started out as an AU idea that I had on Twitter, but I'd forgotten about it till I rewatched Prince of Stride the other day and youtube fed me a related video compilation of types of vaults... I never thought I'd actually end up writing this. Giving all of the boys their own role in this was really a lot of fun; I tried to match them with different terrains to work with and eventually imagining each relation made my head spin with possibilities, so I actually started on this a couple of days ago and only just managed to wrap it up today. It took longer than I expected, but I'm glad it worked out :) 
> 
> I don't know as much as I probably should about TXT, but I wanted to include them;; I hope I did a decent job, and I hope you guys enjoy the story overall. I'd really, REALLY appreciate it if you dropped a comment to let me know what you think of the story. Thanks!
> 
> \---
> 
> [Follow me on Twitter](https://twitter.com/PBK_twt)


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